Saturday, October 14, 2023

Today in Comics History, October 14: Happy birthday, Roger Moore!

Born on this day in 1927: cinema's only James Bond, Sir Roger Moore (picture, below, hanging out with his good pal Ben Grimm).


house ad from Fantastic! #45 (IPC UK, 23 December 1967)




Today in Comics History, October 14, 1938: That sure was a shocking story, wasn't it, kids?


from "Killer!" in Police Line-Up #1 (Avon, August 1951), inks by George Roussos (?)

Today in Comics History, October 14, 1806: French military defies expectations of American dumbasses


from "General Antoine Henri Jomini" in It Really Happened #3 (Pines, 1944), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, Eclipse Day: If you look up at the sun today, you're sure of a big surprise

Oh no! Today's the day that the rare "Ring of Fire" Eclipse (so named by Johnny Cash in song) sweeps across the nation, darkening the skies, hiding the sun and sending werewolves into confusion!


from "The Hidden World!" in Sub-Mariner (1954 series) #36 (Marvel/Atlas, November 1954); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Bill Everett




Today in Comics History, October 14: Happy birthday, Bob Oksner!

Born on this day in 1916: Bob Oksner, comic book scripter, penciller, and inker on hundreds of books like The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, Leave It to Binky, Marvel Mystery Comics, Action Comics, Superman, The Adventures of Bob Hope, The Adventures of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Sergeant Bilko, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl and many, many more!


from DC Comics cover-dated November 1962

Award-winning artist? You betcha!


from DC house ad from DC Comics cover-dated November 1971, letters by Gaspar Saladino

Olypmics judge Bob Oksner awards Superman a 9.7 on his dive, and the judges agree...hey, what's the big deal, Julie Schwartz?!?


from DC Comics Presents #81 (DC, May 1985), plot and pencils by Keith Giffen, dialogue by Robert Loren Fleming, inks by Bob Oksner, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Pearson

Happy birthday, Bob!

Today in Comics History, October 14, 1963: Or, as Billy Joel calls it, British Beatlemania


from The Beatles in Comics! (NBM, November 2018); script by Richard Di Martino; translation by Joe Johnson; pencils, inks, and colors by Efix; letters by Ortho

Friday, October 13, 2023

Today in Comics History, October 13, 1937: Even cartoon funny animals agree every workplace should have a union


from Comic Book Comics #1 (Evil Twin, November 2016); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey

Today in Comics History, October 13, 1487: Batman misses the days when Ra's would just write in his diary about how he got bullied by the other boys at recess and how much he worshipped Taylor Swift


from Batman: The Audio Adventures (2022 series) #6 (DC, July 2023), script by Dennis McNicholas, pencils by Anthony Marques and J. Bone, inks by J. Bone, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Ferran Delgado

Today in Comics History, October 13, 1967: But in 1967, October 13 was a Friday, Stan. So where's my No-Prize?!



cover of Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #56 (Marvel, January 1968), pencils and inks by John Romita, Sr., letters by Sam Rosen

Today in Comics History, October 13: Happy birthday, Cadet Schitt!


from Justice Warriors #5 (AHOY!, October 2022), co-script and letters by Matt Bors, co-script and art by Ben Clarkson, colors by Felipe Sobeiro

Happy birthday, Mister Sc...uh, happy birthday to you.

Today in Comics History, October 13, 1939: A shocked and stunned nation in 1939 cannot comprehend the startling revelation that the Daily Bugle can print its first page in color!?! For free?!?

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published October 13, 2022.


from The Daily Bugle: The Marvels Project tie-in promo (Marvel, 2009), art by Alex Ross




Today in Comics History, Friday the 13th: What's the worst that can happen

Happy Friday the Thirteenth! Hope you're not having as bad luck as Superman is!

cover of Action Comics #721 (DC, May 1996), pencils by Kieron Dwyer, inks by Denis Rodier, colors by Patrick Martin
(Click picture for the how-bad-can-it-be reveal)

But how bad can it be for Superman? For the answer to that question, click the image above.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Today in Comics History, Friday the 13th: The day Lois killed a dog

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published November 28, 2012.

It's Friday the Thirteenth! Which really is only a bummer if you're superstitious. Modern, educated people — like, say, journalists for a Great Metropolitan newspaper — don't believe in superstition! Why, in the clickbait pageturningbait of Pre-Crisis The Daily Planet, Perry "Non-Chief" White doesn't have a superstitious bone in his body! He also doesn't have a soup bone in his body, and that's only the first disappointment in this story for dogs.



from "Lois Lane's Kiss of Death!" in Lois Lane #7 (February 1959), script by Robert Bernstein, pencils and inks by Kurt Schaffenberger

In any other universe (except perhaps Peter Parker's) this editorial edict would lead a dull and mundane tale of Lois reporting on something light and frothy that will get printed, if she's lucky, on the "Life In These Here United States" page. But not in a Pre-Crisis Superman tale! Yep, it all adds up to this...


...and the death of a dog.



Today in Comics History, Friday the 13: Phil Fumble dies of hypothermia; Nancy suspiciously takes over the comic

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published Friday, October 13, 2013.


cover of Tip Topper #21 (United Feature, February 1953), pencils and inks by Ernie Bushmiller (?)




Thursday, October 12, 2023

Today in Comics History, October 12: Happy birthday, J. Torres!

Born on this day: comic book and television writer J. Torres (Teen Titans Go!, Alison Dare (co-creator), Black Panther, X-Men: Ronin, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Rugrats comic strip, and much more)! here he is the the top panel (penciller Todd Nauck is in the lower one):


from "When Chibis Attack" Teen Titans Go (2004 series) #18 (DC, June 2005), script by J. Torres, pencils by Todd Nauck, inks by Lary Stucker, colors by Heroic Age, letters by Nick Napolitano

Happy birthday, J! Can I call you that? You can call me B. Just don't call me late for dinner BWAH-HA-HA-HA!

Today in Comics History, October 12: Happy birthday, Nuklon!

Born on this day: Al Rothstein, the nuclear-powered DC hero named Nuklon!


from Infinity Inc. (1984 series) #22 (DC, January 1986), script by Roy Thomas and Dann Thomas

Happy birthday, Nuklon! Don't get overexcited at your biothday party, 'kay, pal?

Today in Comics History, October 12: An eight-month-iversary isn't a thing, Barry


from The Flash (2016 series) #74 (DC, August 2019), script by Joshua Williamson, pencils and inks by Howard Porter, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Steve Wands

Today in Comics History, October 12: Happy birthday, Doris Grau!

Born on this day in 1924: Doris Grau, actor, voice artist, and script supervisor. You may remember her from such roles and voices in Babe, Cheers, DuckTales, The Critic as Jay Sherman's make-up artist Doris Grossman and The Simpsons as Lunchlady Doris and other characters. Following Grau's death in 1995, the character was retired from the show, although recently a similarly diesned character named Lunchlady Dora has appeared, voiced by Tress MacNeille.


"The Bongo beat" from Bongo Comics cover-dated February 1996

Happy birthday, Doris! We miss you.

Today in Comics History, October 12: Happy birthday, Dan Abnett!

Born on this day: comics scripter, editor, and novelist Dan Abnett (Legion of Super-Heroes, 2000 AD, The Punisher, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, Titans Hunt, War Machine, Annihilation: Nova, Warhammer 40,000, Planet of the Apes, and lots more!) He's the co-creator of (many of these with writing partner Andy Lanning) Elsa Bloodstone, Resurrection Man, Knights of Pendragon, Death's Head II, Cosmo the Space Dog, the 2008+ version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Force Works, and others!


from Marvel Age Punisher Anniversary Magazine one-shot (Marvel, February 1994)




Today in Comics History, October 12, 1985: I could never vote in a phone poll to kill off someone who likes hot chocolate.


from "Dear Pen Pal..." in Blue Devil #19 (DC, December 1985), plot and pencils by Alan Kupperberg, script by Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin, inks by Rick Magyar, colors by Michele Wolfman, letters by Bob Lappan